First visit

[ridetotheworld]

Hello everyone. as i am to announce that i be going to Japan for the first time to see what is like out there. and also, to tokyo disneyland for the first time as well. we be off in april 13 and arrive on 14 japan time i think. so as everything there is new to me and my dad, what is it we need to see, especially japan itself? yes we r very aware the crowds since 35th anniversary will start that day, but we been there, done that in California.

[Jord]

In Japan itself I can recommend Ueno Park. It's a beautiful park where you can get some rest between the crowded tokyo/TDR days. On weekends you can expect to see different street performers like jugglers, musicians etc. There are also several markets which I believe are held on Tues- and Sunday. They sell handmade products like bowls, plates, vases etc. which can make for great souvenirs.

Ueno Park also has different interesting museums but I especially recommend the National museum of Nature and science since it has some cool prehistoric pieces in which I like. You can see the evolution of humans and animals alike there. A lot to see.
Another museum which I recommend is the amachi museum. This is a small museum but don't confuse size with quality. You can experience how people in Tokyo lived about 100 years ago since they've build a recreation of a small Japanese village in it (with a house, shop, shrine etc). It's very interesting to see and you really should ask for a guide since the people there are incredibly passionate about it and tell lots of interesting stories. (They speak English so don't worry about the language barrier) Easily the best experience if you're even remotely interested in (ancient) Japan.

Ueno also has a nice Zoo with lots of animals and even a cute young panda. As an added plus, the museums and zoo are really dirt cheap. I believe the zoo was about $6.


As for Tokyo Disneyland. You really should go for Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Monster's Inc Ride and go Seek. They are TDL exclusives and are simply stunning. Pooh is an amazing trackless ride with beautiful furry animatronics and Monsters Inc really gets you into the Monsters Inc world with an interactive ride where you use your flashlight to trigger hidden monsters which then pop up. They are extremely popular rides so you should probabley get fast passes for both.

As for DisneySea....Journey to the Center of the Earth is amazing and TDS-exclusive. I don't know if you like the Tower of Terror but DisneySea has it's own unique version without the Twlight Zone-theme that's worth checking out. What I like best about DisneySea however is it's atmosphere. It has a less cartoony atmosphere (except for Mermaid Lagoon) and it's simply worth checking out for all the different ports (lands) it has which are unique to DisneySea. It's a bit more chilly there than it is in TDL, especially in the evening so you should dress appropriately.
One more thing though. To get to DisneySea (and get back from DisneySea) you need to take the monorail and this costs about 300 JPY per time. This is due to Japanese railroad regulations where if a train has more than one stop you should be charged for it. That also explains why the TDL-railroad only has one stop. It starts and ends at the same spot -with a very weird twist near the end of the ride-. Likewise, the DisneySea train has multiple stops but you need to exit at the next stop. I know, that sucks but the Japan Railroad system in general is very good. It's almost always departs on time and if you missed your train the next train arrives very shortly. It's also pretty cheap. I would reccommend you get a Suica (prepaid railroad) card to avoid hassle. You can get one at almost every train terminal and the menu's have an English option.

I hope you have a nice stay in Tokyo and if you've got any more questions feel free to PM me. It's a great country with a wonderful peaceful atmosphere and the people there are extremely friendly. The food's also pretty good.